17th August 2012

Wind still in the south east but the morning was windy with some drizzle and so it was no surprise that only a single Willow Warbler could be found on the island. A high tide sea watch produced 9 Black Terns most feeding off to the north west before the tide with hundreds of other terns. The eight Arctic Skuas logged were mostly hunting off the north end with many Gannets and Great Crested Grebes in the area, but Manx Shearwaters were absent until after the high tide when just 6 were noted. Very little else worth reporting today except for 2 Harbour Porpoises observed during the sea watch and a single Whimbrel on the shore. Later in the afternoon 5 Common Seals were seen separated from the main haul out of Grey Seals on the west hoyle bank, they have almost certainly been there all summer as a photographs taken on 15th May this year by a marine ecologist from the Coutryside Commission for Wales also shows the same number in a group. Could this be the first signs of a mixed species assembly in the future ?



Five Common Seals (left) and Grey Seals (right)      photo  Toby Oliver



Common Seals with one possibly pregnant    photo  Toby Oliver

(DB,AMC+1,CJ,NDW,SRW,TGW)